Eliminator

Eliminator's premise sounds pretty sweet; unfortunately, the preview version we played just wasn't, well, fun yet. As a P.O.W. in the enemy's weapon-testing center, you're strapped into a hovercraft saddled with a ticking bomb--and the only way to survive is by blasting your way out But Eliminator's not about racing; instead you guide one of four craft through mazelike arenas, battling a wide variety of enemies, traps, and more with a standard complement of weapons, such as missiles, vulcan cannons, and so on.

But the trouble begins with the controls, which don't allow you to move in reverse. The targeting system's also a handful, while the bland graphics and repetitive action just don't hold your interest. If Psygnosis can manage to fix all these glitches before the game's released, then Eliminator may be able to deliver on the potential of its cool premise.

From the company responsible for such PlayStation classics as WipeOut, Colony Wars and G-Police comes Eliminator, a genre-bending action/racer that harkens back to arcade hits of the past.

Best described as WipeOut meets Doom, Eliminator puts gamers behind the controls of a sleek anti-gravity racer outfitted with the usual assortment of lasers, cannons and rocket launchers plus one interesting addition--a ticking time bomb! To survive, players must continually add time to the clock, accomplished by destroying enemies and by collecting pick-ups. Destroy all the enemies in one arena, and you'll be granted access to a new arena, filled with bigger, badder enemies and a plethora of new pick-ups. Arenas are linked by hazard-filled track sections, which must be successfully navigated as quickly as possible.

Each of the game's eight levels constitutes a different interplanetary location, from the bubbling Lava World to the underwater environment of the Tropical Atoll. Powerful bosses and eight bonus stages add even more variety.

Most of Eliminator's enemies are heavily armed bipedal mechs, which, if video games have taught us anything, will be as common as Volkswagens in the not-too-distant future. Some enemies are so big, they literally must be cut down to size by successively destroying their legs, torso and finally their heads. Fortunately, your arsenal of 12 devastating weapons evens the odds a bit. Collecting credits also allows you to upgrade your current vessel or to buy an entirely new one.

Fans of rapid-fire, arcade-style action definitely should check out Eliminator when it hits store shelves later this month, but hurry--time's a wastin'.

Eliminator offers an interesting twist on standard racing/combat games. As a POW fighting for survival, you test-drive enemy hovercraft in a race that you win by blowing up other POWs before they blow you up--and before the time bomb strapped to your back explodes. Time power-ups and kills replenish the all-important clock as you battle through 3D tracks in one of six ships armed from an arsenal of 12 weapons. The action goes down across eight large levels in one- or two-player splitscreen play.

Psygnosis' first PC title of 1999 turns out to be this little-known shoot 'em up, Eliminator, and by golly it's... erm... a bit shit It's similar in some ways to Ocean's Tunnel BI and Acclaim's classic, Forsaken, in that you zoom around narrow corridors, fighting your way through wave upon wave of robotic monstrosities, picking up power-ups (which improve weaponry and top up your health) and taking on the obligatory end-of-level guardians. There are traps galore, doors to unlock and secret weapons to bolt on as you plough your way through to the end ot the game.

Unfortunately, Eliminator has none of the finesse of either Tunnel BI or Forsaken and is a failure in almost every department. Graphically it does nothing new, musically it's bland, and gameplay-wise you're bound to tire of it after just a few hours' play. All in all, the whole thing looks like a poor PlayStation conversion. Avoid.